Understanding the Federal Budget

The Trump administration has released its budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2019, with calls for increased military and defense spending as well as for additional funding to combat the opioid crisis. To pay for increased spending areas, the proposal suggests slashing funding for a number of domestic programs—including Medicare. The budget proposal totals $4.4 trillion, and would add $7 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years.

Historically, budget proposals put forward by administrations have served as a messaging document for laying out a president’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, as opposed to an actual starting point for Congress to draft a budget.

Here are a few things you need to know about President Trump's FY 2019 proposal: